There are many ways to violate HIPAA, from intentionally snooping into medical records of a former spouse to carelessly tossing patient records into the trash or leaving a message about a treatment plan on the wrong phone number.
The financial ramifications of being found non-compliant can be staggering: settlements average $964,634 per complaint. In addition to civil money penalties, resolution agreements can include other costly obligations, such as technology upgrades.
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Annual training of employees is a must, but how do you know if you’re learning the most current HIPAA information? VGMU Online Learning has a two-part series of HIPAA courses designed to teach the basics to anyone, even those not in health care. A third course focuses on the duties of a privacy officer, a role required by HIPAA to be in compliance. The courses are regularly updated by Jill Blaser, VGM Education design and development manager, who monitors OCR for updates.